We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jose Rosete a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jose, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’ve been a working actor since 2007. I moved to Los Angeles in December of 2009. I didn’t know what to expect but my transition was smooth and thankfully I had demo reels that helped me get work on a consistent basis. It definitely wasn’t like that I. The beginning. I was an actor in Arizona for 10 years before moving to LA. I did a ton of free work for the first few years. I got in front of every camera I could. I was a young father and had to work obviously but I was determined to chase my dream. My goals have never been about fame, red carpets and signing autographs, I just wanted to be a full time working actor living comfortably. Don’t get me wrong, in the almost 17 years I’ve lived here it has been a roller-coaster ride with quite a bit of slow and dark moments where I had to dig deep to keep this going. I’ve learned that when things are going great, never forget all the times where it felt like nothing was going my way. Most actors would agree that we’re constantly in a world of rejection and turning that rejection into motivation can be easier said than done in my occasions.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I grew up in Arizona. In 6th grade I was watching a movie and for whatever reason I couldn’t help but keep thinking about how the film was made and what it would be like to be an actor. I had a bad stutter and I mumbled when I talked. After I graduated high-school, my mother knew what I wanted to do so she insisted on acting classes. I think deep down I figured eventually I would just go live a normal life and get a regular job and stop thinking about some pipe dream, especially with as mentioned, I had become a father pretty young. I took the classes absolutely terrified and got through it. I told myself, pick one, fear of taking these classes or fear of being an old man with the regret of only thinking about what could of been. Eventually, I started to find anyone and everyone who had a camera and wanted to create. I got headshots and took some additional classes and started getting my share of no budget/low budget work. I hung in there and started getting paid gigs here and there. I just kept add it until I had a solid resume and footage for an eventual move to Hollywood.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

In this industry, as in others, who you know can be crucial. So many other actors were always in classes but I knew the best classroom for me was on set, more hands on approach. I started in the days of checking a hotline for auditions and mailing my headshot and resume, in the actual mail. Once the internet hit the scene it was obviously a game changer. Eventually websites, phones and communicing online was everything. This is still before social media. Networking online was a strength of mine.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I mentioned earlier, rejection is a huge part of being an actor. I’ve been working on turning that rejection into motivation even to this day. We’re not robots so it can take a toll on your emotions and attitude. On top of that I’ve seen so many people reach their ceiling and call it quits. That’s tough to see. It’s a reminder of just how challenging this business is. I’ve been fortunate to have very positive and supportive people in my life as fsr as family, friends and colleagues. It can be pretty crucial.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joserosete.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actorjoserosete
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joserosete
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/joserosete
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/joserosete